Wind power is considered one of the cleanest, most environmentally friendly energy sources presently available, and wind turbines have gained increased attention in this regard. A modern wind turbine typically includes a tower, a generator, a gearbox, a nacelle, and a rotor. The rotor typically includes a rotatable hub having one or more rotor blades attached thereto. The rotor blades capture kinetic energy of wind using known airfoil principles. For example, rotor blades typically have the cross-sectional profile of an airfoil such that, during operation, air flows over the blade producing a pressure difference between the sides. Consequently, a lift force, which is directed from a pressure side towards a suction side, acts on the blade. The lift force generates torque on the main rotor shaft, which is geared to a generator for producing electricity.
It is known in the art to change the aerodynamic characteristics of wind turbine blades by adding dimples, protrusions, or other structures on the surface of the blade. These structures are often referred to as “vortex generators” and serve to create local regions of turbulent airflow over the surface of the blade as a means to preclude flow separation and thus optimize aerodynamic airflow around the blade contour. Conventional vortex generators typically consist of a base having one or more raised surfaces and are attached to the suction side of the blade using an adhesive, such as glue.
It is important to properly align vortex generators on the surface of the rotor blade in order to obtain the desired air flow characteristics. As such, installation accounts for much of the time and cost associated with these features. One conventional installation method includes soft templates that are typically taped to the surface of the rotor blade to align the vortex generators and other various surface features. These soft templates, however, are associated with numerous installation issues. For example, the soft templates may acquire wrinkles or tears during installation and/or removal causing misaligned vortex generators. Moreover, the soft templates may become misplaced due to environmental conditions, such as being blown off of the surface of the blade via the wind. Additionally, the soft templates are difficult to reuse on multiple blades.
Another conventional installation method includes manually measuring and aligning the vortex generators using string lines. Such a method, however, is associated with numerous installation issues. For example, manually measuring and aligning the vortex generators can take many hours to complete and may lead to operator errors and/or in consistencies between different operators.
Accordingly, the industry would benefit from an improved template for aligning surface features on the surface of a rotor blade. More specifically, a rigid template that addresses at least the aforementioned problems and decreases installation time and cost would be advantageous.